meneluininfandomcom-20200214-history
PBA 035
3:17:28 PM Canto: It's morning on Nation. You've been on the plane you're currently on for almost a week now -- it seems uninhabited by sentient species, making it a decent place to settle down and work on the ship's repairs. Nation has also been busy making new rooms for the ever-expanding crew -- there's now a workshop, for example, with a forge, anvil, tool racks, work benches, a working loom, all of that good stuff. There's a small conservatory for the musicians among the crew. The galley has been expanded as well. The surrounding forest around the ship has been explored a bit, fruits and vegetables harvested, and some new plants and animals added to the Forest's biosphere. 3:21:51 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari has set up shop in the Workshop, far more comfortable around the tools of his trade than... well, pretty much anywhere else on the ship. The merchant is currently in the process of transcribing his inventory notes into his logbook, hopeful that the return to routine will make things a little more smooth - mentally, at least. 3:22:00 PM Wynn: Wynn has spent her time training, reading, training, writing, training, and sometimes hanging out with Val. Oh, and training. 3:22:50 PM Canto: Your various rooms have also been personalized a bit more, according to whatever specifications individuals might have. 3:23:17 PM Valerian: Valerian has gained a large, expensive looking desk with lots of cubbyholes, then! And a bookshelf. 3:26:25 PM Canto: And so, it is morning! Or what passes for morning on this plane with its two suns. The ship has its own cycle of day and night according to the Forest, regardless of what plane it's on. 3:27:39 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari snaps his logbook shut, slightly more content than before, and shambles off to the galley to break fast. 3:28:22 PM Wynn: Wynn will show up in the galley, freshly showered after an early morning training session, and put her mace and shield in the rack. 3:28:36 PM Valerian: Valerian is reading in the galley, and eating toast. 3:29:27 PM Valerian: Valerian waves at Wynn. 3:29:40 PM Wynn: Good morning. 3:30:39 PM Nilani: Nilani starts down from the bubble, detecting signs of activity downstairs. 3:31:34 PM Wynn: Wynn grabs a couple pieces of fruit and sits near Valerian. 3:31:39 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Murgle. 3:31:51 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari needs at least 150cc of coffee before Common is his default tongue again. 3:32:40 PM Valerian: ... wow, you speak Murloc? 3:32:44 PM Nilani: Nilani peeks into the kitchen. "Hi guys." 3:32:45 PM Valerian: That's pretty good, where'd you learn? 3:32:57 PM Wynn: Nilani. 3:33:04 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Coffee deficiency. It's like inverse osmosis. 3:33:29 PM Canto: There are several plates of crispy rice marshmallow treats. Like, 20. Apparently Isk has been to the kitchen and gone already. 3:33:52 PM Valerian: Valerian nibbles one. "I don't think he knows we're not dragons." 3:34:03 PM Aziz al-Awlari: There are worse things to be confused with. 3:34:14 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari tries a treat, suitably emboldened by the coffee surging through his system 3:34:23 PM Wynn: Wynn sticks to her fruit. 3:35:12 PM | Edited 3:35:27 PM Nilani: Nilani picks one up, finds a spot to sit, and munches on it. 3:36:32 PM Aziz al-Awlari: What's on tap for today? 3:37:36 PM Wynn: Hopefully a jump. We've spent too much time here. 3:38:06 PM Valerian: We have? 3:38:58 PM Wynn: Yes. Sitting around here is not doing anything constructive towards solving and curing the curse. 3:39:18 PM Aziz al-Awlari: ...speaking of curses, how's the incubus? Did the amulet work out well for him? 3:39:45 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari is not the best with names 3:39:58 PM Valerian: Fred. 3:41:13 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Fred? I'll... try to remember that. What ethnicity is that? 3:41:54 PM Wynn: Janis named him. 3:42:22 PM Valerian: We had a hamster named Fred once when I was little. 3:44:27 PM Aziz al-Awlari: I need to start keeping a notebook of names, I suppose. 3:45:05 PM Wynn: Hmph. I've been suggesting nametags for some time... maybe not entirely seriously, though. 3:46:27 PM Wynn: Anyway, it's... hard to tell with how he acts, but I think the amulet is working. 3:46:30 PM Valerian: If we do get nametags, put them on the *right* side of the chest. Not the left. 3:47:06 PM Aziz al-Awlari: There are spells that read surface thoughts... I wonder if I can water one down to an "identity finder". Instead of telling me what someone's thinking, it just tells me what they call themselves. Could be useful in a pair of glasses... 3:47:29 PM Valerian: ... there'd be a market for that. 3:47:30 PM Wynn: Wynn frowns. "You could just ask." 3:48:14 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Yes, but then there's the problem of remembering afterwards! I never forget a face, but names... there's always so many names. 3:48:47 PM Valerian: I have a hard time even remembering mine. 3:50:26 PM Wynn: Wynn starts peeling her second piece of fruit. 3:51:30 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Getting back on topic, though. Have we had any new arrivals? 3:52:07 PM Wynn: Have you met Haggard and Theta? 3:52:24 PM Aziz al-Awlari: I... don't think I have, though as I mentioned I'm terrible with names. 3:52:47 PM Canto: Your pleasant morning conversation is interrupted by a shrill voice over the internal intercom system. "NATION! I'VE FOUND YOU AT LAST! COME AND TASTE YOUR RECKONING!!" 3:52:49 PM Wynn: The only dwarf that didn't try to kill me and the only.... machine-thing. 3:53:02 PM Wynn: ...what the devil is that? 3:53:03 PM Valerian: ... oh dear, that... is not a good sound to hear. 3:53:08 PM Nilani: What in the starry void? 3:53:08 PM Valerian: Nation, status? 3:53:17 PM Canto: Nation's Voice: Oh. Crap. It's that guy. 3:53:30 PM Canto: Nation's Voice: ... yeah, I'm gonna get ready to jump. 3:53:38 PM Valerian: *What* guy? 3:54:09 PM Wynn: Wynn stays sitting in that case and watches Val. 3:54:13 PM Nilani: Nilani sits down on the floor. 3:54:15 PM Canto: Other voice: YOU THOUGHT YOU LOST ME IN THE FOREST OF LIGHTNING SERPENTS! WELL PLAYED, WORTHY ADVERSARY! 3:54:34 PM Aziz al-Awlari: ...is this person from the Plane of Storybook Villains? I kind of want to meet him. 3:54:37 PM Valerian: ... can you put me on the intercom or something? 3:54:53 PM Canto: Nation's Voice: .... that's Vink. He's a shiftship who hates me for some reason. 3:55:13 PM Wynn: (dryly) I'm sure you don't have a clue why. 3:55:13 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Does he have a waxed moustache and an elaborate silk outfit in reds and purples? ...would he like one? 3:55:59 PM Canto: Nation's Voice: Not a clue! So, yeah. Like Wynn said, it's about time to leave. 3:56:14 PM Valerian: Is there a way for me to talk to him? 3:56:21 PM Canto: Vink's Voice: YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE FROM ME THIS TIME! 3:57:03 PM Valerian: ... what did you do, stab him in the wrong shoulder? 3:57:11 PM Canto: Nation's Voice: ... you can try. Maybe you can distract him long enough for me to get my jump drive spun up. Head to the observation bubble. 3:57:23 PM Aziz al-Awlari: I'll bring my measuring tape. 3:57:26 PM Valerian: Valerian hops up, drops the food and runs for the observation bubble. 3:57:38 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari follows Valerian, still unsure of the layout of the ship 3:57:39 PM Wynn: Wynn frowns, grabs her shield and mace and tries to catch up to him. 3:57:50 PM Nilani: Nilani gets up and follows. 3:58:05 PM Valerian: Nation, have you said anything to him? How does he confirm your identity? 3:58:58 PM Canto: Nation's Voice: By my energy signature. I'll give him one thing, his sensor suites *are* very acute. 3:59:43 PM Valerian: More information would be helpful if you have any... 4:00:10 PM Aziz al-Awlari: I'm going to assume Nation is focusing on spooling up the jump drive. I can't imagine it's a casual process. 4:01:29 PM Canto: You head up to the observation sphere, a glass bubble that gives a grand view of the forest surrounding Nation. In the sky above the clearing that Nation has settled in hangs a metallic vessel, all harsh angles and asymmetrical geometry. 4:01:49 PM Canto: Nation's Voice: it was bout... 345 years ago? The plane was absent of organic life. 4:01:58 PM Wynn: ((Does it resemble the Utlan-Tari ship or the Neogi ships at all?)) 4:02:05 PM Canto: It does not. 4:02:46 PM Valerian: Valerian gets to the Observation Room. 4:02:52 PM Valerian: ... do I address the window, or... 4:03:02 PM Canto: Nation's Voice: I was exploring, looking for useful salvage, and I found this other ship there. I think he had been on his own for too long. He contacted me, decided that I was his 'arch enemy', and has been hounding me ever since. 4:03:41 PM Canto: Nation's Voice: Hold on, I'll patch his avatar through. Visual and audio only. You won't be able to punch him no matter how much you want to. 4:03:53 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Maybe you should try playing his game. Ham it up; the shock would probably buy you a few minutes. 4:04:56 PM Valerian: ... I don't usually want to punch anyone. 4:05:05 PM Wynn: No, that would be me. 4:05:06 PM Canto: A humanoid figure appears, a slightly translucent half-elf looking fellow with a plasticky-metallic sheen to his copper skin. He's bald, and has an eyepatch. 4:05:38 PM Valerian: Ah, hello! Good morning. 4:06:15 PM Canto: Vink's avatar eyes Val. "..... I see my old adversary is infested again. YOU WON'T GET MY PITY, NATION!" 4:06:30 PM Wynn: Wynn frowns. 4:06:45 PM Valerian: It's not an infestation, it's a symbiosis. 4:07:11 PM Valerian: I understand this ship is your archenemy. Is that correct? 4:07:17 PM Valerian: Valerian has decided to just stall for time! 4:08:17 PM Canto: Vink: Yes! I have dogged his steps for an eternity by your limited reckoning! 4:09:06 PM Valerian: Exactly what makes him *suited* to be your archenemy? 4:10:06 PM Canto: Vink's voice seems to raise and lower volume completely at random. "HE knows what he DID!" 4:10:17 PM Valerian: Ah, I see. 4:10:25 PM Valerian: Have you considered growing a beard on your avatar? 4:11:02 PM Canto: Vink's avatar blinks. Then he crows a tidy goatee. "Of course! I just forgot to load it." 4:11:20 PM Wynn: Wynn rolls her eyes. 4:11:28 PM Aziz al-Awlari: A worthy adversary you must be, then! We all could feel Nation's intercom crackle with uncertainty when he announced your presence. It must be exceedingly difficult tracking us across the stars, what with the many countermeasures Nation takes! How do you manage? 4:11:36 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari decides to join in on stalling for time 4:12:11 PM Valerian: ... very dashing. 4:13:15 PM Canto: Vink: I can track my ACCURSED sworn ENEMY across the swath of universes! My HEART beats with VENGEANCE and where you squishies would have BLOOD, I have... more VENGEANCE. 4:15:13 PM Valerian: That's quite a lot of vengeance. 4:16:07 PM Aziz al-Awlari: No wonder, then, that Nation seems perpetually hounded! It must be with fear of your unending wrath. The knowledge that behind every star system, between every asteroid, you may be waiting... plotting, scheming, to accomplish your revenge. Surely you would draw glee from seeing the fear spread across your rival's carapace, no? Thrill us, o mighty hunter - what are your plans this time? 4:16:53 PM Valerian: He has seemed rather grumpy lately. Probably the stress. 4:17:30 PM Canto: Vink: HAH. YES. Grumpiness is only a FRACTION of WHAT I will INFLICT on my ARCHENEMY. 4:17:36 PM Wynn: He didn't tell us why you follow him. He could be hiding it from us for all we know. Can you tell us? 4:18:17 PM Canto: Vink: BECAUSE WE ARE RIVALS. 4:18:27 PM Wynn: Why? 4:18:28 PM Nilani: Rivals at what? 4:18:42 PM Valerian: Is it for love, money or honor? 4:18:48 PM Canto: Vink: BECAUSE MY SHINING HEART BURNS WITH VENGEANCE! 4:18:49 PM Wynn: Wynn has trouble keeping the condescending tone from her voice. 4:19:38 PM Canto: It is worth nothing that his voice is so loud and shrill that it creates a bit of feedback on the audio system, lots of crackling static. 4:22:25 PM Canto: Nation's Voice: Okay. Jumping. Hold on to something. 4:22:41 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari sits down abruptly 4:22:42 PM Canto: Roll a will save, everyone! 4:23:11 PM Wynn: ((8 woah...)) 4:23:31 PM Valerian: ((11.)) 4:23:38 PM Aziz al-Awlari: much worse than mine! 4:24:38 PM Nilani: ((14. Eeeeeh...)) 4:24:47 PM Canto: Val, Nilani, and Wynn, having been through a few jumps, are okay. 4:25:23 PM Wynn: Wynn looks at Val after the feeling passes. "Are you ok?" 4:25:27 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz is turned into a caterwauling turnip. 4:25:33 PM Valerian: Valerian shudders. 4:25:39 PM Valerian: Yeah. Yeah, I think so. This time. 4:26:46 PM Wynn: Wynn looks at the other two to see how they fared. 4:27:38 PM Nilani: Nilani is still standing. 4:27:45 PM Aziz al-Awlari: This... we're dead, aren't we? 4:28:04 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari has tilted over and fallen sideways from his seated position, staring emptily off into space 4:28:27 PM Aziz al-Awlari: ...this is some sort of purgatory... we feel the weight of our sins, the choices left unmade... 4:28:35 PM Wynn: Wynn kneels next to him and tries to sit him back up. "It's in your head. You're right here on Nation." 4:28:50 PM Nilani: That's an interesting way of thinking about it. 4:28:56 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari is floppy and boneless, like a cat that doesn't want to be picked up 4:29:21 PM Wynn: It'll pass. It just takes a minute. 4:30:09 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari finally looks up at Wynn after a minute of floppy bonelessness 4:30:13 PM Aziz al-Awlari: ...no wonder your friend drinks. 4:30:28 PM Wynn: That was a pre-existing condition. Come on. 4:30:31 PM Wynn: Wynn helps him up. 4:30:40 PM Valerian: Although it certainly seems like a good idea. 4:30:49 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Are you sure we're not dead? 4:30:55 PM Wynn: Absolutely. 4:30:55 PM Nilani: Nope. 4:31:02 PM Valerian: Until you see how well it turned out for him. 4:31:08 PM Aziz al-Awlari: This seems exactly the sort of afterlife some of the more spiteful gods might cook up. 4:31:53 PM Wynn: I'd know it if I was dead. I've also seen myself in the afterlife... and this isn't it. 4:34:28 PM Valerian: I'm just going to... sit here quietly for a moment, all right? 4:34:32 PM Valerian: ((And get my laundry.)) 4:34:44 PM | Edited 4:34:47 PM Valerian: ((Started. MAYBE. If the other assholes got their shit out like they were supposed to.)) 4:34:45 PM Canto: Outside the observation window, you see that Nation is hovering over a tiny island, mostly made of sand. It's nightime on the plane you're on. There are two yellowish moons hanging in the sky. 4:35:53 PM Wynn: Wynn frowns a little at Val then addresses Nation. "This one isn't home either. If you want to jump again to put more space between us---- wait, you have to wait a day, don't you?" 4:36:25 PM | Edited 4:36:38 PM Nilani: Ooh, this plane is pretty. The air could be some sort of poisonous, gaseous sentience, but at least it's pretty. 4:38:04 PM Canto: Nation: Or so, yes. And the air isn't poisonous. Hmm. Seems to be a demi-plane. Deliberately constructed. There's a settlement to the south, looks like on of the Portals on the crew deck connected to it. 4:38:22 PM Aziz al-Awlari: ...can we keep it? Like the forest? 4:39:09 PM Canto: Nation: No. The Forest and I are symbiotic. 4:40:02 PM Wynn: That sounds like we're going exploring... which to me sounds a lot like I get to go put my armor on. 4:40:37 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Well, there's a settlement, at least. Maybe I can trade for new crafting supplies. Shells are always in high demand. 4:43:25 PM Canto: So, you guys get ready to head off the ship? 4:43:54 PM Wynn: Wynn gets armored up, hopefully with help, preferably from Val. 4:44:43 PM Valerian: Valerian does, and does help his girlfriend. He knows where all the pieces go. 4:45:25 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari gathers a mostly empty backpack, fills it with tradable excess supplies from his workshop, then joins everyone else at the portals room. 4:46:48 PM Nilani: Nilani gets over to the portal room, wondering what weirdness we'll encounter this time. 4:47:04 PM Wynn: Wynn shows up at the portal, armored, visor up, mace on hip, and shield on her back, somehow looking less tense than she was earlier. 4:48:05 PM Canto: Okay! You head through the portal? 4:48:28 PM Wynn: Wynn will go first when everyone's collected. 4:49:07 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari will be last 4:51:20 PM Canto: The portal opens, and ahead of you is a narrow room. It's dark, about 8 feet wide and 20 feet long. There's a door at the other end of the room. 4:52:09 PM Wynn: Wynn steps in and starts making her way towards the door, somewhat slowly. 4:52:32 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari restrains the urge to call out "Anyone home?" 4:53:18 PM Canto: It's pretty quiet! 4:53:27 PM Nilani: Nilani steps in and sticks close to one of the walls. 4:54:20 PM Wynn: Wynn will crack open the door if she reaches it with no problems. 4:55:39 PM Canto: Once you all step through the portal, it closes behind you! The room shudders suddenly, and lights come on. The portal you come from seems to.... phase into the wall it was set in disappears! 4:56:13 PM Wynn: Wynn pulls her shield to her arm and draws her mace. 4:56:39 PM Valerian: ... well, that's interesting. 4:56:58 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Is that... normal, for the portals? 4:57:04 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari has never done this before 4:57:04 PM Wynn: No. 4:57:08 PM Aziz al-Awlari: ...oh. 4:57:16 PM Wynn: ((is the door still there?)) 4:57:18 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Suddenly I wish I had packed lunch. Or a weapon. 4:57:39 PM Canto: The door in the front of the cabin, yes! Though it's locked. 4:57:47 PM | Edited 4:58:03 PM Nilani: Nilani pulls a dagger from somewhere and hands it to Aziz, hilt-first. 4:58:12 PM Wynn: Wynn instead walks up and tries to kick the door open (because she wouldn't know it's locked). 4:59:10 PM Canto: Make a strength roll! 4:59:35 PM Valerian: Wait. 4:59:36 PM Wynn: ((BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA 1. ._.)) 4:59:36 PM Valerian: Wait, wait wait. 4:59:41 PM Valerian: This is a tram, I'm pretty sure. 4:59:51 PM Aziz al-Awlari: A tram? Like the travel car? 4:59:55 PM Valerian: Yes. 4:59:57 PM Canto: The door doesn't give and Wynn loses her balance. 5:00:15 PM Valerian: If you open the door we might get sucked out, so it's probably for the best it didn't work. 5:00:20 PM Wynn: Wynn falls on her butt, then scowling stands up again. 5:00:26 PM Aziz al-Awlari: ...but don't those usually have comfortable chairs? And windows? 5:00:31 PM Aziz al-Awlari: And staff? 5:01:09 PM Wynn: Why would we be sucked out? 5:01:18 PM Wynn: We're on a plane, not the void. 5:02:07 PM Valerian: Air pressure? 5:02:16 PM Valerian: And yes, this is definitely a very low-budget version. 5:02:19 PM Canto: Eventually, the tram seems to slow down. 5:03:14 PM Wynn: Wynn scowls a little more, puts her faceplate down, and stands in front of the door with her mace in hand, ready. 5:06:16 PM Canto: The tram car comes to a complete, shuddering stop, and the door slides open before you, leading to a darknened outdoor area. There's like a kind of town square area, with large cobblestone square and a running fountain before you. You see paths leading off from the square, and between those there is what looks like once meticulously landscaped grass and plants, now overgrown with long neglect. 5:06:44 PM Valerian: I'd be happy about this if our way home hadn't vanished. 5:06:58 PM Wynn: We'll just show up in the pods again anyway. 5:07:50 PM Valerian: Hopefully. 5:08:49 PM Wynn: Wynn hops down from the train. 5:09:09 PM Nilani: Nilani cautiously disembarks. 5:10:35 PM Wynn: Maybe Nation can just fly down and pick us up. 5:10:59 PM Wynn: Why don't you try the communicator, Nilani? 5:11:26 PM Nilani: Eesh, I keep forgetting that thing's there. Hold on. 5:11:46 PM | Edited 5:11:54 PM Nilani: Nilani rummages around for it in one of her pouches. 5:12:04 PM Canto: She finds it. 5:13:06 PM Nilani: Nilani pulls it out and attempts to activate it. "Hello, Nation. The portal closed behind us. How are things on your end?" 5:13:20 PM Wynn: Wynn scans the area for threats. 5:14:13 PM Canto: Nation: Fine. The portal is still there, but I guess the wall it locked onto moved. I'm getting all kinds of weird interference, but I'll try and set up another portal for you. 5:14:51 PM Canto: As you step out of the tram, an image appears over the fountain, a transparent image of a handsome, young looking human man striking a heroic pose. "Hello! I welcome you! I am Andar Twinbolt! Vanquisher of the Torak Horde! Hero of the Enliss Incursion! Archmage of the Ruby Mount and Adventurer extraordinaire!" 5:15:08 PM Nilani: Nilani is quite startled! 5:15:47 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari is familiar with illusionary advertisements, and barely gives what he perceives as an "ad" a passing glance 5:16:04 PM Valerian: That's.... very nice? 5:16:05 PM Aziz al-Awlari: ...this place looks like it's been abandoned forever. 5:16:18 PM Canto: The illusion continues! 5:17:04 PM Valerian: Which leads me to wonder why. Plague, horrible monsters? 5:17:11 PM Wynn: Wynn sighs heavily and returns her mace and shield to their holsters. 5:18:27 PM Canto: "When it was time to retire, I couldn't just fade away, after the amazing life I led! So I built this place... Andaria! What was once my private refuge, I opened it up to the public, so that my fans and admirers could celebrate my life alongside me!" 5:18:28 PM Wynn: Wynn lifts her faceplate. 5:18:53 PM Wynn: ...great. We stumbled into someone's shrine to himself. 5:20:08 PM Canto: Andar: So I welcome you, my friends, to Andaria! 5:20:18 PM Valerian: ... it's a theme park. 5:20:52 PM Canto: With that, floating lights come on, illuminating the paths between the overgrown brush. In the distance, you see buildings, and even rides come to life. 5:21:04 PM Wynn: I can't even imagine how full of himself he'd have to be to create this place. 5:22:21 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Twenty silver says they have automated defenses to prevent vandalism. Probably golems. 5:22:29 PM Aziz al-Awlari: So don't break anything. 5:22:32 PM Wynn: The Saint has nothing against pride and humility's not one of our virtues, but this is excessive. 5:23:23 PM Valerian: Here's the thing. Why isn't there anyone here? 5:23:27 PM Canto: The image has stopped crowing and has gone to statue mode, now standing there with a friendly hand outstretched, grinning. 5:23:33 PM Wynn: Because nobody cares about what he did? 5:23:36 PM Valerian: Something must have gone horribly, horribly wrong somewhere along the line. 5:24:01 PM Valerian: No one cares, but they'd be happy to bring their kids to an amusement park regardless of what it was about. 5:24:09 PM Valerian: Or their spouses, if it's a sex-oriented one. 5:24:23 PM Wynn: Maybe the demiplane--- those exist? 5:24:49 PM Wynn: Maybe the demiplane's entrance closed. 5:25:02 PM Valerian: Of course they do. 5:25:29 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Or maybe the problem we had is the same one everyone else has when they come here. "You can check in any time you like, but you can never leave"? 5:25:51 PM Valerian: I like that song. 6:31:18 PM Canto: So, you're standing in front of this fountain. 6:31:38 PM Wynn: Wynn is annoyed and grumpy. 6:32:26 PM Nilani: Nilani is more than a lil' bit cautious. 6:32:35 PM Canto: There's a path to the right, one straight ahead, and one to the left. Right path leads to a bunch of buildings you can see in the distance. Middle path seems to lead to the midway, where all the rides are. Left path leads to more buildings. 6:33:01 PM Valerian: If people were checking in and not leaving, we'd find corpses, probably. 6:33:14 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Unless there's an automated trash disposal service. Made of golems. 6:33:24 PM Valerian: Or getting eaten whole... 6:33:34 PM Wynn: We should just hop back on the tram and ride it to the entry. See if it's still even open. 6:34:05 PM Aziz al-Awlari: If that's not open to us, let's try the right path. I don't want anything to do with the rides. 6:35:34 PM Valerian: I'd've expected you to be interested in them. 6:36:06 PM Aziz al-Awlari: I'd expect the rides to have the most golems. What else would need more repair than moving parts? 6:36:35 PM Wynn: Golems, golems, golems. Anything else you're worried about? 6:36:57 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Well, there's the possibility of golems. And while we're on the topic, there might be golems performing golem repair on other golems. 6:37:06 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari smirks 6:37:18 PM Valerian: I... think we're stuck in some sort of a loop. 6:37:36 PM Wynn: While we're stuck here waiting on another portal from Nation, we might as well pick a direction and go. Maybe we'll find something that needs smashing. 6:37:42 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Like golems! 6:37:49 PM Aziz al-Awlari: I still suggest the right path. 6:38:03 PM Valerian: Right. 6:38:05 PM Valerian: Valerian heads right! 6:38:09 PM Wynn: Wynn does too. 6:38:52 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari follows 6:39:03 PM Nilani: Nilani tags along. 6:40:00 PM Canto: You walk down the path to the right. As you walk, an image of the mage, Andar Twinbolt appears and walks alongside. "You might be asking, 'if you created this demiplane, why is it always night? Andar Twinbolt isn't in league with the dark forces, is he? Or maybe he's a vampire!' Well, nothing could be further from the truth! It's very simple - amusement parks are more fun at night!" 6:40:22 PM Valerian: That *is* true. 6:41:19 PM Aziz al-Awlari: ...I wonder. 6:41:30 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari takes a moment and addresses the illusion directly. "Can you display a map?" 6:42:15 PM Canto: Andar: This path will take you to my original manorhouse -- the very house I built when I first created this demiplane as my refuge. It's now a museum, commemorating my adventures, my adversaries, my allies, and my victories! 6:42:56 PM Valerian: Valerian brightens. 6:42:58 PM Aziz al-Awlari: That answers that, then. 6:43:00 PM Valerian: That does sound interesting. 6:43:20 PM Wynn: ...why? 6:44:12 PM Canto: The path is now lit by floating moats of bluish light. Halfway down the path, you see something dark and spread across the cobblestone. 6:44:52 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Hey look, a thing we shouldn't touch. Who wants to not touch it? 6:44:58 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari raises his hand 6:45:14 PM Valerian: Valerian peers at it. 6:45:14 PM Canto: The image of Andar disappears. 6:45:18 PM Wynn: Wynn rolls her eyes. "You don't even know what it is." 6:45:28 PM Nilani: Nilani edges backwards a bit. 6:45:34 PM Aziz al-Awlari: I know what it's not, and that's "a thing we should touch." 6:45:48 PM Wynn: Maybe it's just a puddle of water. 6:45:53 PM Valerian: You may be paranoid. 6:45:57 PM | Edited 6:46:03 PM Wynn: Wynn approaches it for a better look. 6:47:08 PM Wynn: Wynn looks from side to side to see if she can find the source. 6:48:10 PM Wynn: Wynn touches it and smells it. "Blood, but it's... odd." 6:48:38 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aaaand you touched it. Of course. 6:48:58 PM Valerian: She *is* the one who's supposed to do that kind of thing. 6:49:00 PM Wynn: I am not a paranoid coward. Don't worry, Aziz. I'll protect you. 6:49:09 PM Valerian: What's strange about it? 6:49:12 PM Aziz al-Awlari: I really hope it doesn't eat the flesh from your bones. 6:49:17 PM Wynn: It smells odd. 6:49:23 PM Wynn: ((and she's wearing gauntlets)) 6:49:24 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Odd? Odd how? 6:49:43 PM Wynn: Wynn stands and holds her armored finger up towards his face. "You tell me." 6:49:48 PM Wynn: It's not fresh. 6:50:04 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari attempts not to jump out of his own skin 6:51:01 PM Valerian: Good. Probably? 6:51:47 PM Wynn: Wynn shrugs. "I don't know. Let's keep going." 6:52:09 PM Wynn: ((how big is this puddle? Go around or step over or jump over or have to walk through?)) 6:52:24 PM Canto: You can step around it pretty easily. 6:52:34 PM Wynn: Wynn continues on then! 6:52:46 PM Wynn: Wynn also bends down and wipes the blood off on the grass. 6:55:00 PM Canto: You continue down the path until you reach the end, where the house sits ominously! There's the large manorhouse, and then a couple of outbuildings. 6:55:19 PM Canto: Stables, and what might be servant's quarters. 6:55:32 PM Wynn: Main house? 6:56:53 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Do we want to find monsters? Cuz stables have the biggest doors, and are probably easier for monsters to get into. 6:58:03 PM Valerian: ... you're really panicking for having seen nothing scary yet. 6:58:31 PM Valerian: I'm not usually one to advocate this sort of thing, but perhaps you should get a wand of Calm Emotions. 6:59:19 PM Canto: So, where to? 6:59:32 PM Wynn: What do you think, Valerian? 6:59:58 PM Valerian: Mmm. Manor house. 7:00:27 PM Wynn: Wynn starts heading up to the front door then. 7:01:01 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari follows at the back, though not too far behind 7:01:54 PM Valerian: Valerian follows Wynn. Right behind her. 7:02:06 PM Nilani: Nilani keeps close. 7:02:40 PM Canto: Andar appears again, standing in front of the door. "Welcome to my home, my friends! Inside, you'll find all manner of curiosities! My archives, my collections, my trophies! I'd be delighted to show you around! If you wish me to guide you on a tour, say 'yes'. If you would rather explore on your own, say 'no'." 7:03:55 PM Valerian: Yes. 7:04:31 PM Canto: Andar smiles. "Outstanding! Follow me, friends." He steps up to the front door and it opens for him. 7:04:45 PM Wynn: Wynn follows. 7:06:20 PM Nilani: Nilani trudges along behind, looking behind the group occasionally. 7:06:52 PM Canto: He steps into the foyer and the lights come on. The walls of the foyer are filled with paintings of Andar, Andar's friends and family. Spread across teh floor, there's the remains of a golem that looks like it's been pulled apart by... something. 7:07:17 PM Wynn: Wynn narrows her eyes at it and pulls her shield back to her arm. 7:07:54 PM Canto: Andar, of course, ignores it. "In the foyer, you can see many portraits, mostly painted by the elven portrait artist Selena. She has been my family's painter for over a thousand years." 7:08:21 PM Wynn: Elves live a thousand years? 7:08:34 PM Nilani: If they're lucky. 7:08:36 PM Valerian: Some. 7:08:54 PM Nilani: Just like humans can live a century if they're lucky. 7:09:22 PM Valerian: And half elves are in between. 7:09:25 PM Valerian: Hey, there's your golem. 7:09:56 PM Wynn: Wynn approaches the golem, kneeling next to it and examining its 'wounds'. 7:10:01 PM Valerian: ((Gotta run the laundry again.)) 7:10:50 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari examines the golem, tracing his fingers along the internal lines of magic and wincing at every severed strand. 7:11:29 PM Aziz al-Awlari: This is... a Shield Guardian. Very tough. One of them would probably be a match for all of us together. Something ripped it apart... 7:12:37 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari shakes his head and steps away from the "corpse". 7:12:46 PM Aziz al-Awlari: We should probably not linger here. 7:13:35 PM Wynn: Wynn stands and looks at Andar. 7:14:19 PM Valerian: ((Back.)) 7:14:29 PM Valerian: And you don't want to save any of the pieces? 7:15:00 PM Aziz al-Awlari: It's... ruined. Most of the energy that powered it has fled, the elemental at its core is dead. It's just stone and steel now. 7:15:39 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari takes a moment to pop an access panel off the chestplate of the golem, lifting a large red-and-yellow crystal from its core 7:15:45 PM Aziz al-Awlari: ...that being said, I'll keep this part. 7:16:07 PM Valerian: I was going to say "are you sure you're a merchant?" 7:16:07 PM Wynn: For what? 7:16:28 PM Wynn: ...never mind. 7:17:01 PM Aziz al-Awlari: This is the core of the golem, the part that the elemental was bound to. It's an expensive crystal, hard to replace. It'll fetch a pretty penny somewhere civilized. 7:17:23 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari tucks it into his backpack 7:17:25 PM Wynn: What's next, O Self-Important One? 7:19:56 PM Canto: Once you start moving toward the door, the image of Andar speaks again, opening the door before you. The next room is large, with two flights of stairs leading upstairs. The ground floor is filled with suits of armor of all kinds in glass cases. "In here is where I displayed many of the sets of armor I collected over the years! As an archmage, I had no use for armor myself, but I do like collecting it!" 7:20:34 PM Canto: One set seems to be made of glass. Another of coral. One seems to be made of hardened autumn leaves. 7:21:38 PM Valerian: Wow, that's beautiful. 7:21:40 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Aziz al-Awlari examines the coral armor set 7:21:54 PM Wynn: I bet Janis would've liked that one... if she was bigger. 7:23:02 PM Canto: They are all of very high quality. 7:23:26 PM Valerian: Makes me wish I wasn't me. 7:23:27 PM Canto: There's some more standard armor, too, full plate and half-plate and chain and leather. 7:23:39 PM Canto: All of the highest quality. 7:24:17 PM Wynn: Why? 7:24:46 PM Valerian: I can only wear black. 7:24:53 PM Wynn: Oh. Right. 7:25:01 PM Valerian: And a bit of red. But not too much. 7:25:28 PM Aziz al-Awlari: You know, I can redye any of these. 7:25:35 PM | Edited 7:25:38 PM Aziz al-Awlari: ...probably. 7:25:42 PM Wynn: We're not taking anything. 7:25:48 PM Aziz al-Awlari: It'd take some time, but I don't see why I cou--aw. 7:26:22 PM Valerian: Well, the broken golem we can. It's broken. 7:26:39 PM Valerian: But we can't steal from them. Probably everything is alarmed anyway. 7:28:34 PM Canto: This room has a door to the left, the right, and ahead of you, and it looks like there are more doors upstairs. 7:29:41 PM Wynn: Just tell me which way you want to go. 7:29:50 PM Valerian: Let's check every room. 7:30:35 PM Wynn: Wynn shrugs and starts heading to the right. 7:31:30 PM Valerian: Valerian follows her. 7:31:36 PM Valerian: If nothing else it's certainly interesting. 7:31:44 PM Wynn: If you say so. 7:31:49 PM | Edited 7:32:47 PM Canto: Andar walks with you! "Ah, good choice! This room I call the "Hall of Allies", an exhibit dedicated to my many friends, lovers, and comrades!" 7:34:25 PM Canto: He opens the door to another large room. This one seems to be full of paintings and various artifacts, with each dedicated to a particular person. 7:34:37 PM Valerian: ... now he could've used your glasses, Aziz. 7:35:39 PM Aziz al-Awlari: Heh. 7:36:18 PM Valerian: I wonder if the lovers were consecutive. 7:36:30 PM Canto: In the corner of this room, you find an alcove with an intact Shield Guardian standing at attention within it. 7:37:43 PM Wynn: As opposed to? 7:38:06 PM Valerian: Simultaneous. 7:38:10 PM Canto: Really, it just looks like a person in full armor. You can see why people might think Wynn is a golem. 7:38:43 PM Wynn: Ah. 7:38:57 PM Valerian: He might've been Solitary. 7:39:15 PM Wynn: Wynn nods. "Though I doubt he was from our plane." 7:39:28 PM Wynn: Could be from another place with that setup though. 7:40:33 PM Valerian: Valerian nods, and wanders around inspecting things, including the shield guardian. 7:41:02 PM Wynn: Wynn stays right next to him, assuming the others will move with us. 7:41:42 PM Nilani: Nilani looks at the displays. Also the doorway, just in case. 7:42:54 PM Canto: This room seems to be a dead end. Beside each 'ally' exhibit is some artifact of theirs, apparently... in some cases weapons, or clothes, or a suit of armor. 7:43:23 PM Wynn: I'm a little surprised this place hasn't been looted. 7:43:44 PM Nilani: Well, what do you think the golem is for? 7:44:30 PM Wynn: Wouldn't be that much of a deterrant for someone dedicated enough... and there seems to be a lot of expensive stuff here. I'd be willing to bet some of it is magical. 7:44:30 PM Valerian: Usually they're for security. 7:45:10 PM Wynn: Wynn will head out and to the room opposite the foyer when they seem done looking at this room. 7:45:46 PM Valerian: Valerian follows her. 7:45:51 PM Valerian: I wonder how long this place has been here. 7:46:01 PM Nilani: Nilani tags along. 7:48:09 PM Canto: Andar appears again. "Steel yourself, my friends. Now we're entering the 'Hall of Adversaries', where many of my greatest enemies are commemorated." 7:48:50 PM Wynn: ...wonder if we'll find anyone we know in here. 7:48:57 PM Wynn: Wynn continues. 7:48:59 PM Valerian: I was just wondering the same thing. 7:49:01 PM Valerian: Valerian follows her. 7:49:07 PM Valerian: At least he was fair in his commemorations. 7:49:26 PM Nilani: I wouldn't be overly surprised. 7:49:49 PM Nilani: Nilani trudges along behind. 7:50:43 PM Canto: This place is a mess. There's *two* smashed Shield Guardians here. 7:51:26 PM Canto: There's some old blood in here, too, though no sign of who left it. And one of the glass cases is smashed open and empty. 7:51:33 PM Wynn: Wynn examines them to see if they have the same "wounds" and if she can tell *how* they were destroyed. 7:51:54 PM Valerian: Thieves. 7:51:58 PM Canto: It looks like they were pulled apart. 7:52:13 PM Wynn: But for just one artifact? 7:52:20 PM Wynn: Wynn looks for a name on the broken case. 7:53:30 PM Canto: Andar: Ahh, yes. Here you can find the Vestments of the Black Crow King, one of my greatest foes! 7:53:38 PM Canto: He gestures to the broken glass case. 7:54:50 PM Wynn: Wynn sighs heavily. "You're an idiot, Andar." 7:55:28 PM Canto: Andar: They say that the robes he wore strengthened his own unholy power and were hand sewn by the mother of the devil! 7:55:42 PM Valerian: You really don't like this guy, do you. 7:56:00 PM Valerian: ... I hope no one is wearing those things and wandering around here. 7:56:09 PM Wynn: More now. These are *actual* artifacts. With *actual* evil in them. Not harmless duplicates. 7:57:43 PM Valerian: They ought to have been contained where he left them. ... though really, not leaving supervisors was silly. 7:58:21 PM Wynn: He should have destroyed them. And made duplicates if he *had* to make a museum. 7:59:19 PM Valerian: Wizards aren't known for their common sense, are they? 7:59:25 PM Wynn: Nobody would have taken on two of these guardians to steal normal robes. 7:59:37 PM Wynn: I suppose not. 8:00:40 PM Canto: Everything else is intact and where it belongs, apparently. 8:01:21 PM Wynn: I'd be tempted to do it for him, but... well, it seems impractical considering how few people we have here. 8:01:54 PM Wynn: Maybe when we get back to Nation, Tarak and Allys can come down with us and deal with it. 8:03:31 PM Canto: So, where to now? 8:03:40 PM Valerian: ((have we looked at all the rooms in here?)) 8:03:51 PM Wynn: Wynn heads back out and to the left hand door. 8:04:29 PM Nilani: Nilani follows. 8:05:45 PM Canto: Andar: Ah, this way lies my library and arcane laboratory tower! I worked many wonders in here! 8:07:14 PM Valerian: Valerian follows them both, shaking his head. 8:10:49 PM Canto: As you walk toward the door, a section of the wall beside you opens up and Nation's avatar is standing there. "I got a portal open. C'mon in." 8:11:21 PM Wynn: ...hello, Nation. 8:11:22 PM Valerian: Already? 8:12:18 PM Canto: Nation: I dno't know how much longer I can keep it open. There's a weird energy through this demiplane that seems to stymie extradimensional magic. 8:13:13 PM Wynn: ....I suppose we should go then. We're not going to be able to destroy that stuff alone. 8:13:33 PM Valerian: ... I don't know that we should destroy it. 8:13:37 PM Wynn: And if Allys and Tarak can't get back on board, they'd actually be stuck here. 8:13:52 PM Wynn: Why not? 8:14:09 PM Valerian: Some of it could be useful, in the right hands. 8:14:29 PM Valerian: And... well, destroying knowledge just doesn't seem right. 8:14:32 PM Wynn: There are no right hands for evil items. 8:14:43 PM Canto: Nation: I can open portals, that's not the problem. It's just keeping them open. 8:14:48 PM Valerian: Are they *all* evil? 8:14:57 PM Valerian: Valerian hops through the portal. 8:15:02 PM Wynn: I only did a cursory glance. I couldn't even tell you which ones are. 8:15:06 PM Wynn: Wynn follows. 8:15:25 PM Nilani: Nilani also goes through the portal. 8:15:30 PM Wynn: ((along with zombie Aziz. lol)) 8:17:33 PM Wynn: You'd rather leave them somewhere that the security will eventually fail or become overcome so that the "wrong hands" can find them? 8:18:00 PM Valerian: No, I think we should destroy the dangerous, evil ones. 8:18:17 PM Valerian: And either notify some organization--St. Cuthbert's people, maybe?--that the rest of them are here or take them with us ourselves. 8:18:27 PM Wynn: Well, I didn't mean destroying the entire demi-plane. Just the evil things. 8:18:43 PM Valerian: That's probably a good idea if it can be done. 8:21:18 PM Wynn: ....Nation, nothing else came aboard while we were gone, did it? 8:21:45 PM Canto: Nation: No, not at all. 8:22:31 PM Canto: Nation: ... well. Not that I'm aware of. 8:23:53 PM Wynn: Wynn sighs. "I guess I should go get out of my armor then. ....I don't really want to." 8:24:09 PM Valerian: We should probably contact someone to deal with it, honestly. Or maybe Aziz knows how to properly dispose of this kind of thing. 8:24:11 PM Valerian: No? 8:24:15 PM | Edited 8:29:54 PM Valerian: ((Got it.)) 8:30:05 PM Valerian: I don't think it's a good idea to try to do it ourselves. 8:30:32 PM Wynn: I suppose I just assumed Allys would know how. 8:30:57 PM Valerian: Maybe. 8:31:53 PM Wynn: And also, no. I don't really want to take off the armor. It probably sounds funny, but I missed it. 8:32:12 PM Valerian: I'm sure we'll go exploring down there again. 8:32:20 PM Valerian: There's a lot there yet that we haven't seen and we're not yet sure no one else is there. 8:32:48 PM Wynn: That's true. 8:33:10 PM Canto: Nation: A lot of the systems seem pretty sophisticated. At the very least there might be some useful salvage. 8:34:19 PM Wynn: ...we're not stealing anything. Destroying evil is different. 8:35:53 PM Wynn: I'll go get changed and catch up with you guys. 8:38:23 PM Valerian: Want a hand? 8:38:58 PM Wynn: Wynn shrugs. "Won't turn it down." 8:40:04 PM Wynn: Wynn heads to her room to lose fifty pounds or so. 8:40:14 PM Valerian: Valerian follows her, and helps out. 8:40:41 PM Nilani: Nilani goes off to the galley or the library or wherever. 8:41:37 PM Wynn: Wynn gets the armor off pretty quickly with help but takes time to set it all up in her normal readied state. 8:42:01 PM Wynn: Thank you. 8:44:35 PM Valerian: Valerian nods, and heads with her back to Nilani! Probably the library. 8:44:54 PM | Edited 8:45:26 PM Wynn: Wynn will follow him with her mace and shield. 8:45:59 PM Nilani: Nilani is in the library, reading a book about mimics and their various forms. 8:46:44 PM Wynn: Wynn sets her mace and shield on one of the nearby tables and sits heavily on one of the sofas. 8:47:02 PM Valerian: Learn anything interesting about our terrifying shapechanging enemies? 8:47:30 PM Nilani: They have a weakness for fatty foods, apparently. 8:47:51 PM Nilani: Especially bacon. 8:48:16 PM Wynn: What are you talking about? The Circles? 8:48:27 PM Nilani: Nah, mimics. 8:48:41 PM Wynn: Oh. 8:49:27 PM Valerian: I like bacon. 8:49:36 PM Valerian: ... who *doesn't* like bacon. 8:49:38 PM Wynn: Who doesn't? 8:49:43 PM Wynn: Wynn smiles slightly. 8:50:03 PM Nilani: I dunno, but they might be more than a little daft. 8:51:59 PM Valerian: People who don't like bacon or mimics? 8:52:11 PM Nilani: Maybe both. 8:55:08 PM Canto: Iskandar walks in. "I don't like bacon." 8:55:22 PM Wynn: You might not be real people then. 8:55:40 PM Valerian: Is that... common to dragons or is it just you? 8:55:59 PM Canto: Iskandar: Too salty. I mean, if you like salt, I suppose it's pretty good. 8:57:28 PM Canto: Iskandar: But you can barely taste the meat. 8:58:58 PM Valerian: I like salt. 8:58:59 PM Valerian: Valerian shrugs. 9:01:04 PM Wynn: Wynn starts fidgeting with her hands. Rubbing them together, looking at them, popping the knuckles, etc. 9:01:58 PM Valerian: ... maybe a sparring match would make you feel better. 9:02:58 PM Wynn: Hmm? Oh. Maybe. I'm just... not used to doing nothing. Feel like I should be doing *something*. 9:04:28 PM Wynn: And yeah... I'm a little... antsy. 9:06:52 PM Valerian: That much I can tell. 9:07:09 PM Valerian: Nilani, Isk, suggestions? 9:07:47 PM Canto: Iskandar: . .. my suggestion would get me smote. Smitten? Smited? 9:08:05 PM Canto: Iskandar: ... anyway, I abstain. 9:08:25 PM | Edited 9:08:29 PM Wynn: Wynn rolls her eyes. 9:11:40 PM Nilani: Nilani shrugs. "I dunno, take up crochet?" 9:14:06 PM Wynn: I suppose I could have qualified it with "Feel like I should be doing something that works towards my goals." There's a lot of things I *could* do that are not much more than time-fillers. 9:15:49 PM Canto: Iskandar: There's your problem. You have convinced yourself that your every waking moment must contribute to some kind of industry, like some lkind of human worker drone. 9:16:23 PM Wynn: Obviously. 9:17:21 PM Valerian: A lot of people find work fulfilling. 9:17:48 PM Canto: Iskandar: Sure. But she's jonesing like a junkie withough a fix. 9:17:58 PM Canto: Iskandar: Sorry, I've been reading a lot of crime novels lately. 9:18:25 PM Valerian: Well. What could we do that would further the cause of good and justice and the safety of puppies? 9:19:54 PM Canto: Iskandar: ... don't slay any dragons, I'm not a danger to anyone. 9:20:31 PM Wynn: I wouldn't do that. Not unless the dragon was a threat. 9:21:41 PM Wynn: ...I don't know. I got my hopes up when I saw the blood, and then with the golems and everything. .....maybe you were right. 9:22:10 PM Canto: Iskandar: ... you got your hopes up with blood? 9:22:27 PM Wynn: Wynn shrugs. "Thought there might be someone that needed smashing." 9:23:44 PM Canto: Iskandar: Maybe you are a junkie. 9:24:05 PM Wynn: Wynn frowns. 9:24:41 PM Canto: Iskandar: Just saying. Maybe you need to find a way to contribute to the greater good that doesn't require smiting. 9:25:08 PM Wynn: What's your purpose in life? 9:26:12 PM Canto: Iskandar: Mine? Well, without me, the multiverse would be a sad, Iskandarless place. I take that responsibility very seriously. 9:26:44 PM Wynn: Mmhmm. Most people don't have one. They float through life, doing what they want or what they think they should. 9:27:52 PM Wynn: I do. I have a purpose and that purpose is the only reason I am alive. 9:28:13 PM Valerian: My purpose is to resolve conflict. 9:28:40 PM Canto: Iskandar: That's all? You cannot be anything more? 9:30:08 PM Wynn: I stopped being "anything" more four years ago and became something more important. 9:31:27 PM Canto: Iskandar: Huh. 9:32:43 PM Wynn: I know most people would think it's foolish or demanding or what-have-you. 9:33:59 PM Canto: Iskandar shrugs. 9:39:04 PM Canto: Iskandar: I feel like making some noodles. Who wants noodles? 9:39:19 PM Wynn: ...noodles? 9:39:32 PM Valerian: I do, but is there going to be a sauce at all? 9:39:36 PM Wynn: You're not going to make so many we'll have to wade through them to get to the sink are you? 9:40:01 PM Canto: I don't think we have that many. 9:40:18 PM Wynn: You should think about making your recipes smaller. 9:42:30 PM Canto: Iskandar: ... yeah, probably. I'm just not great with measurements. 9:43:14 PM Valerian: I thought you were used to cooking for... well, you when you were larger. 9:45:19 PM Canto: Iskandar: Nah, not really. I'm just used to cooking for my whole crew. 9:45:55 PM Wynn: That also makes sense. 9:46:31 PM Wynn: Although I suppose we *do* have a lot of people onboard and obviously *someone* is eating it. 9:47:39 PM Canto: Iskandar starts rummaging in the pantry. "I'm thinking a butter-garlic sauce." 9:48:51 PM Wynn: Wynn took her mace and shield and followed him, putting them in the rack in the galley. "Learning how to cook something new is good." 9:49:06 PM Valerian: Valerian watches. 9:50:24 PM | Edited 9:53:37 PM Canto: Canto Iskandar smiles a little, and actually explains what he does as he does it. 9:55:28 PM Wynn: And actually, when we're done in here, it might be fun to see if I can take both of you, or all three of you, in the training room. 9:56:10 PM Valerian: I'm... pretty sure I'm negligable as far as fighting goes. 9:56:29 PM Wynn: ...you did pretty well against the infiltrator. Better than I did. 9:58:08 PM | Edited 9:59:03 PM Wynn: Besides, *you're* the one who suggested sparring. 9:58:40 PM Valerian: Oh, I'm in. 9:58:42 PM Valerian: Valerian smiles. 9:59:09 PM Valerian: The infiltrator was *on* you. I don't think there's as much of an opportunity. 9:59:38 PM Wynn: There might have been. ....if I could see straight. 10:00:03 PM Wynn: That was, without a doubt, the most painful thing I've ever felt. 10:01:26 PM Wynn: ...and I've been stabbed, burned, starved, had broken bones... I even crawled miles with both my legs broken. 10:01:36 PM Wynn: Wynn smiles with a bit of pride about the last part. 10:02:24 PM Valerian: ... that... makes me so glad I have a cure wand. 10:03:00 PM Wynn: Wynn shrugs. "It was my own fault." 10:04:41 PM Valerian: What happened? 10:05:38 PM Wynn: An endurance test. Father Markus--- ...are you sure you want me to tell you? You and Tarak tend to get a little... irritated when I talk about it. 10:09:11 PM Valerian: ... he let you do that? He *let* you do that. Seriously? 10:09:25 PM Wynn: Let me? 10:11:36 PM Wynn: ...That's why I asked, though. Didn't really think you could handle hearing it. 10:12:35 PM Valerian: I can handle it. 10:12:51 PM Valerian: ... might have to go and punch a pillow for a while afterward, but I can handle it. 10:14:16 PM Wynn: ....would you rather I had quit? I'm proud of what I did that weekend. 10:14:44 PM Valerian: No, I'd rather people didn't do inhumane things to other people. 10:14:56 PM Wynn: I told you once that few people are suited to this life. This is one of those things that separates us from the rest. 10:15:39 PM Canto: Iskandar: Are you sure you weren't in a cult? 10:15:51 PM Valerian: ... I'd consider that abuse. 10:16:08 PM Wynn: It's a rite of passage. 10:16:41 PM Valerian: So is your parents trying to kill you, and I didn't like that one much either. 10:16:54 PM Canto: Iskandar: "If you do as I say, you are one of the chosen." Cult 101. 10:17:28 PM Wynn: Cult is just a name for any group you don't agree with. 10:17:35 PM Wynn: Your parents tried to kill you? 10:17:37 PM Canto: Iskandar: "Better than anyone else, except for me, of course." 10:17:55 PM Nilani: Nilani has just been making a strange face for a bit. It looks like it's got a few emotions mixed in, but mostly sorrow and surprise. 10:17:59 PM Valerian: Of course. 10:18:20 PM Valerian: It's a rite of passage. 10:18:28 PM Wynn: Wynn frowns. 10:18:30 PM Valerian: It also sucks. 10:20:20 PM Wynn: There was never a point in my training where I thought he'd let me die... and certainly not kill me. I might not be allowed to continue with the training if I pulled out, but I was never in danger of dying. 10:22:38 PM Wynn: Anyway, now that you've got me on the subject, I'm going to tell the story. It was the hardest thing I've done and I passed. If you need to, I'll even hold the pillow for you. 10:23:01 PM Valerian: Fair enough. 10:24:04 PM Wynn: The weekend of my seventeenth birthday, I had my Anniversary Test. It was just a couple weeks after I'd learned to heal... and only a couple months before I woke up here. 10:24:57 PM Wynn: We went out into the woods, about seven or eight miles from the church. I wasn't allowed any food or sleep for all three days. 10:25:43 PM Wynn: There were constant tests- agility, strength, mental... Soldiers were brought in to spar against using all the different weapons I had been taught. 10:26:12 PM Wynn: Sometimes summoned creatures if he thought I needed a new challenge. 10:26:42 PM Wynn: Early on the last day, I was tired and distracted and I fell during one of the tests. Broke my arm. 10:27:25 PM Wynn: I used my new magic to heal myself, but Father Markus thought I should have dealt with it. Said I wasted my magic too early in the day. 10:27:37 PM Wynn: Since I don't have much, I have to save it until I *really* need it. 10:29:26 PM Wynn: So *he* broke my legs. Told me if I could get back to the church for healing, I'd pass. Then he walked next to me the entire way, asking if I wanted to quit. Offering healing. 10:30:01 PM Wynn: I made it back. After he healed me, he called me "Paladin" for the first time. Up until then, I was still just 'recruit'. 10:30:09 PM Valerian: ... seventeen isn't even an adult. How isn't that child abuse? 10:31:13 PM Canto: Iskandar: Because religion. 10:31:32 PM Wynn: I had to wait until sixteen just to start training. 10:32:50 PM Valerian: ((Man, if the authorities found out about that he *would* be locked up. Even in Oonseentia.)) 10:33:03 PM Wynn: ((hehe)) 10:33:34 PM Wynn: I could have quit. I chose to be there. 10:36:17 PM Wynn: But I learned the lesson. You weren't there when we were on the Utlan-Tari ship, but there was an orc with a big axe. Got me pretty good... but I had to wait until I was sure nobody else would need the healing before I could heal myself. 10:36:29 PM Wynn: Then Allys chewed me out because she thought I was just trying to be tough. 10:36:50 PM Valerian: ... I trust Allys a whole lot more than Father Markus. 10:37:03 PM Wynn: ...she has more magic than I do, too. 10:37:40 PM Wynn: She could afford to use it. And I *was* going to... but I didn't get verification that there were no more hostiles until she was already there. 10:38:01 PM Valerian: What's she think of Markus? 10:38:13 PM Wynn: I don't know. We haven't discussed him. 10:38:32 PM Canto: Iskandar: She would hate him. 10:39:42 PM Valerian: Why do you say that? 10:39:53 PM Wynn: Tarak may not agree with his methods, but I know he agrees with many of the fundamentals. The night we chased half the crew into Dragonwyck, he was bleeding from falling in a hole. He healed Nilani, but didn't use the rest on himself because he didn't want to waste it. 10:40:50 PM Canto: Iskandar: The ends justify the means. Got it. 10:42:23 PM Wynn: Not always. I just... I don't understand why everybody hates it so much. 10:42:36 PM Valerian: Well... 10:42:58 PM Valerian: I know you might not trust Isk's judgement, but you do trust mine and Tarak's. Maybe we're more... objective. 10:43:06 PM Canto: Iskandar: You're making excuses for your abuser. 10:43:23 PM Wynn: I doubt you're more objective. 10:43:35 PM Wynn: Do you think I'm a child? 10:43:57 PM Valerian: No. Adults can get abused too. 10:44:39 PM Wynn: ...you just said it was child abuse. That seventeen isn't even an adult. That was only a few months ago. I *am* only seventeen and I am *not* a child. 10:45:47 PM Valerian: Oh. ... sometimes I have trouble translating ages properly across species. Seventeen for a half-elf would.... definitely not be an adult. 10:47:10 PM Wynn: I don't think you and Tarak are the objective ones here. You both act like you have to be protective. You get indignant as if it's on my behalf. 10:48:13 PM Valerian: ... well, there's always Iskandar. 10:48:42 PM Wynn: I knew it would be difficult and painful and stressful, and that my life afterwards would be more of the same... but I chose that life. 10:50:26 PM Valerian: He's objective. 10:50:33 PM Valerian: He has no reason to feel protective. 10:51:16 PM Canto: Iskandar: Yep. And FAther Markus was an asshole who taught you that the best thing you can do for the cause of good is to make yourself a punching bag. 10:53:15 PM Wynn: I'm not a punching bag. I can take the hits if they come, but I deal them. 10:53:33 PM Wynn: My calling isn't to let evil things hurt me. It's to kill them. 10:54:35 PM Wynn: I know that's probably the big message you've gotten from my stories about it, but I've learned about more ways to kill people, demons, whatever, than anything else. I can use almost any weapon you put in front of me. 10:58:00 PM Wynn: ...maybe I've just been telling the stories wrong. 11:00:31 PM Canto: Iskandar: Look, you're obviously proud of your accomplishments. It's not your motives we're questioning, it's this Father Markus of yours. He sounds like a sadist. 11:01:05 PM Valerian: Yeah. 11:01:14 PM Valerian: Not your motives, passion or excellence. 11:01:57 PM Canto: Iskandar: I cannot deny that you are excellent at smiting things. 11:02:38 PM Wynn: Wynn smirks just a tiny bit. 11:02:43 PM Valerian: And helping people, eliminating the sources of wrongdoing. 11:03:05 PM Canto: Iskandar: and the threatening to smite things. 11:04:38 PM Wynn: Wynn can't help but grin at that. 11:06:51 PM Wynn: ...it's hard to separate. A lot of times when people get angry at Father Markus, it feels like it's me they're really criticizing. Like you're saying I was stupid for letting him train me. 11:07:06 PM Valerian: I *don't* think that. 11:07:27 PM Valerian: I mean... if I think it's abuse, that would be blaming the victim, right? 11:09:59 PM Wynn: I know. It's just... hard. I'm so different from most other people. Most people can't really put themselves in my shoes to understand. 11:10:27 PM Valerian: Well.... have you talked to a lot of victims of abuse? 11:10:30 PM Canto: Iskandar: Everyone's different from everyone else. 11:11:03 PM Wynn: ...no, why would I? 11:11:50 PM Wynn: And yes, you happen to be very different from most other people thanks to some wizard, but most people are pretty normal, average people. 11:12:04 PM Valerian: Well, to talk to someone who would understand. 11:12:47 PM Canto: Iskandar: How do you define 'normal' and 'average'? 11:13:20 PM Wynn: I think that *is* the definition- "most" people. 11:15:39 PM Canto: Iskandar: I think I think most people are more interesting than you do. 11:16:19 PM Wynn: Then normal and average wouldn't have a definition. 11:17:01 PM Canto: Iskandar: Of course it does. I just don't think it applies to people. Just.... vegetables and fruit and grain allotments and math. 11:20:49 PM Wynn: Wynn sighs. "Even Grayson seemed to take exception to some of the things I was talking to him about." 11:21:15 PM Valerian: If everyone disagrees with you... it is *possible* you may possibly be wrong. 11:22:06 PM Wynn: It doesn't matter, though. Without him, I wouldn't be a paladin. 11:22:24 PM Canto: iskandar: Maybe you're a Paladin in spite of him. 11:25:07 PM Wynn: Wynn shrugs. "I am who I am. I like who I am. And he's not training me anymore. I don't see how it makes a difference." 11:27:17 PM Valerian: Well, I like who you are too. 11:27:24 PM Valerian: ... just don't train any other kids that way. 11:28:49 PM Wynn: Wynn smiles at first but it disappears with the second statement. "I don't plan on training anyone that way or any other way. I belong on a battlefield, not a schoolyard." 11:30:14 PM Valerian: I didn't think they let you choose? 11:31:23 PM Wynn: ..I'd go where I was needed. Where I'm told. But my skillset is not in training. It would be a waste. I'm sure they'd see that. 11:31:50 PM Wynn: And I'd certainly do my best to stay out of it. 11:37:00 PM | Edited 11:37:10 PM Canto: Canto Iskandar finishes with the noodles. 11:37:29 PM Canto: Iskandar: Well, enjoy. I'm gonna go. 11:37:56 PM | Edited 11:37:58 PM Wynn: Wynn nods. "See you later." 11:38:00 PM Valerian: ... you're not even going to eat any? 11:38:03 PM Valerian: All right. See you later. 11:38:17 PM Canto: Iskandar: I filled up on rice treats. 11:42:29 PM Valerian: They were pretty good, by the way. 11:49:32 PM Wynn: Wynn grabs Valerian's hand and drags him toward the training room. "Come on. You brought it up, you can spar with me. Then we can go eat the noodles." 11:54:25 PM Valerian: Valerian cooperates!